|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
India’s Day 3 at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow delivered contrasting fortunes — Sachin Siwach punched his way into the men’s 60kg round of 16 with a commanding 4-1 win, while gymnast Protistha Samanta qualified for Sunday’s individual vault final, offering redemption after the women’s team fell short of a podium. Lawn bowls star Putul Sonowal suffered his first loss of the tournament, and Pranati Nayak’s team finished fifth in the women’s gymnastics final.
Glasgow, Scotland: Saturday at the SEC Centre and Glasgow International Arena began with purpose for India — a full schedule across five sports, two medal opportunities in the frame, and a contingent hungry to build on Friday’s bronze from para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar. By midnight, the scorecard read two wins, two losses, one elimination, and one precious individual qualification — a day that summed up the complexity of India’s Glasgow campaign.
The women’s pairs bowls duo of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh got the Indian contingent moving in the afternoon, grinding out a nervy 5-2, 4-6, 1-0 tiebreaker victory over Tonga to remain unbeaten in three matches in Section B. The duo, who were part of India’s historic gold-winning fours team at Birmingham 2022, continue to carry that pedigree into these indoor greens — now sharing the top of their group alongside England on wins, with set difference separating the two teams.
Sachin Siwach Delivers with Authority
The afternoon’s clearest highlight came from the boxing ring. Sachin Siwach, the former Commonwealth Youth Games champion, stepped into his men’s 60kg round of 32 bout against Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh with calm assurance and never looked back. The bout was decided 4-1 by the judges — a convincing split decision that confirmed Siwach’s class and experience at this level. The win is India’s second in the boxing ring at Glasgow 2026, following Jadumani Singh’s dominant round of 32 showing in the men’s 55kg on Friday. Siwach now advances to the round of 16, where India’s boxing medal hopes begin to crystallise.
Read More: Commonwealth Games 2026: Jadumani, Srihari and Putul headline positive Day 2 for India
In the pool, Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra lined up in the men’s 400m freestyle heats carrying hopes of an unlikely final berth. Both swimmers fell short — finishing 15th and 16th respectively, with times of 3:58.09 and 4:00.26 — eliminating India from the swimming medal equation for the day. The evening’s 400m freestyle final would go ahead without Indian representation.
A Historic Debut, A Heavy Defeat
India’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team made history simply by taking the court — becoming the first Indian para team in a team sport at the Commonwealth Games. But the occasion proved a stern introduction to competition at this level, as Wales overpowered the Indian side 16-1 in their Pool B opener. Minakshi, Reena, Laxmi and Ritu will take lessons from the defeat as they prepare to face Scotland and Nigeria in their remaining group fixtures on Monday.
Sonowal’s Winning Run Ends
On the indoor bowls rink, Putul Sonowal’s extraordinary start to the tournament — which included stunning victories over world champion Ryan Bester of Canada and Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in his first two Section D matches — came to a halt against Malaysia’s unbeaten Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple. The Malaysian, playing the best bowls of the tournament in his section, won 8-4 and 9-8 in the two sets, ending Sonowal’s perfect record. The Asian champion will reflect on a night where his delivery lacked the usual precision, but with two wins from three sectional matches, his campaign remains very much alive heading into the final rounds.
ALSO READ: CWG 2026: Jhandu Kumar wins bronze in men’s heavyweight para powerlifting
Gymnasts Dream, Protistha Delivers
The night’s most emotionally charged moments came from the Glasgow International Arena, where India’s women’s gymnastics team — Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshita Rewale and Protistha Samanta — competed in Subdivision 3 of the women’s team final and individual qualification. The team finished fifth overall with a score of 93.150, falling short of the podium in what was always going to be a fiercely competitive field. The medal dream faded through the rotations, but Protistha Samanta refused to let the night end quietly.
Competing on the vault, the young gymnast put together a performance that earned her a total of 13.025 — enough to secure third place in the individual vault standings and book her spot in Sunday evening’s vault final at 10:30 PM IST. Pranati Nayak, the Olympian and two-time Asian Championship medallist, also remains on the fringe of qualification, sitting seventh heading into the individual apparatus rounds. For India, Protistha’s individual final qualification is the silver lining — and a genuine shot at a gymnastics medal that seemed distant at the start of the day.
What Comes Next
India’s Sunday at Glasgow 2026 begins with Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh returning to the bowls rink against Namibia at 1:00 PM IST, looking to keep their unbeaten women’s pairs run intact. Protistha Samanta’s individual vault final at 10:30 PM IST is India’s standout medal opportunity on Sunday, while the 3×3 wheelchair basketball team begin the task of recovery against stronger opponents ahead.
Day 3 Results Summary:
- Bowls — Women’s Pairs vs Tonga: India won 5-2, 4-6, 1-0
- Boxing — Men’s 60kg R32: Sachin Siwach won 4-1 vs Keoma Al-Ahmadieh (CAN)
- Swimming — Men’s 400m Freestyle Heats: Dhakshan Shashikumar (15th, 3:58.09) & Aryan Nehra (16th, 4:00.26) — Eliminated
- 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball — Pool B vs Wales: India lost 1-16
- Bowls — Men’s Singles vs Malaysia: Putul Sonowal lost 8-4, 9-8
- Gymnastics — Women’s Team Final: India 5th (93.150); Protistha Samanta qualified for vault final (13.025, 3rd)
